Refuge for a Single Mom
Every Single Mom Needs a Refuge. This is Mine. In the Natural Atleast!* A Blog Dedicated to Struggling & Hurting Moms of Every Walk of Life.
As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the LORD is tried; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
Psalm 18:30
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Struggling + Suffering = Strength
Psalm 5:11-12
11 But let all who take refuge in You be glad, Let them ever sing for joy; And may You shelter them, That those who love Your name may exult in You.
12 For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O LORD, You surround him with favor as with a shield.
As I’ve mentioned, once or twice, my girl Becki and I have been talking about some deep issues lately. Among them is struggling and suffering. (We have some really good conversations and I don’t know about her, but I always learn a lot and walk away thinking!) *wink*
I have a lot of friends that are constantly struggling, constantly suffering through one ordeal or another and they just can’t seem to see the light. (This isn’t to say that my family and I don’t endure our share of burdens, but it seems like we get a break now and again.) Then, on the other hand, I have friends who never seem to struggle, life is good, family is good, finances are good, work is good, etc. One might ask why this happens. Why do honest-to-goodness, God fearing Christians seem to struggle every day while others appear to be skating down easy street?
Honestly, I have no idea why one person seems to deal with more than the other. But I truly do not believe that God wishes for us to constantly struggle and suffer – even here on Earth. He wishes for his children to be happy and blessed with His favor so that we can effectively sing His praises and minister to others. Who is going to want what we have if we are miserable all the time?
In contrast, He did NOT promise us a ‘peaches & cream’ existence on this is Earth! He did NOT promise that life would be easy - it is ruled by the enemy and will obviously be full of trials and heartache. But He DID promise to bring us through whatever we face if we choose to believe in Him and fully rely on Him!
Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right. I Peter 4:19
If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us. II Timothy 2:12
So, perhaps, my conclusion is this… We cannot possibly change the world we live in or reduce the number of times or ways the enemy attacks us. We CAN live by God’s word, trust in it and choose to be beautiful, happy Christians full of light to share with others! The key to this new way of thinking is to fully rely on God and His promises and to immerse ourselves in His word!
This whole concept is something that rests very heavy on my heart and soul. It is something that I have been personally developing for about 5 years now. I was one of those people that always claimed, “If it weren’t for bad luck…I’d have not luck at all!” (Gloom, despair, and agony on me!) Sorry - “Hee Haw” flashback there! *wink*
Seriously, one of the greatest lessons I’ve learned, was to change my thinking, change my perspective and quit relying on ‘luck’, but rather, to rely on God, His word and His wonderful promises!
Basically, here are some of the conclusions I’ve come to:
And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you. Philippians 1:6
[And it is, indeed, a source of immense profit, for] godliness accompanied with contentment (that contentment which is a sense of inward sufficiency) is great and abundant gain. I Timothy 6:6
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16
2 That their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself,
3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:2-3
You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. II Timothy 2:1
Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for and hope for and expect the Lord! Psalm 31:24
10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;
11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. Romans 12:10-11
So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. Revelation 3:16
10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins;
12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD,
13 waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES BE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET.
14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. Hebrews 10:10-14
Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. Revelation 2:10
Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. II Timothy 2:7
Labels: Strength, Way of Thinking
2 Comments:
This was so powerful, Christina! It is like our conversation revisted, and then some! So very powerful!
Wow, what an amazing post. Powerful in wisdom, Holy Spirit filled. Thanks so much for sharing, did it ever bless me.
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